I Wish You'd Stay
by completewithtypos
Summary: Second in the Three Wishes Trilogy. Minerva is leaving him again. Albus' POV. ADMM


I Wish You'd Stay

_A/N: Second in the three wishes trilogy, similar to the first, but I had a very hard time finding a good song for the middle part. I own nothing, the song belongs to Brad Paisley everything else belongs to J.K.Rowling._

It seemed to him that she was always leaving. Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, watching the sun setting, wondering where Minerva was at the moment. She was going to the States for a few years, to study at a magical university there.

She'd come to see him that morning, to say goodbye before she left. He had given her a hug and a chaste kiss on the forehead, and some last minute instructions on how to blend in with the muggles in Tennessee. He was babbling then, and he knew it, but he just didn't want to let her go yet.

_I talked to my sister in Memphis  
And I told her you were movin' to town  
Here's her number  
She said she'd be glad to show you around  
I left a map on your front seat  
Just in case you lose your way  
But don't worry, once you reach Sallisaw  
It's all interstate_

And then she was gone. For four years at least. Then, if she traveled… he sat wearily behind his desk, wondering what he was going to do without their weekly chess game, and spontaneous nights out to see a muggle film or maybe a show.

_I know you need to go  
But before you do I want you to know, that I   
Wish you the best  
And I wish you nothing less  
Than every thing you've ever dreamed of  
And I hope that you find love along the way  
But most of all  
I wish you'd stay_

Fawkes flew in, and settled on his master's shoulder, nudging his cheek affectionately, trying to offer comfort even though he was saddened as well. Fawkes liked Minerva, she gave him ginger newts. And those were second only to the sherbet lemons that Albus saved especially for him. Albus smiled at his friend, but it was a half-hearted smile. He turned again to the window.

_I figure right about sundown  
You'll be in West Tennessee  
And by then  
Maybe I'll understand why you had to leave_

The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon now. He knew that it was a wonderful opportunity for her to go, at least that's what he kept telling himself. But there was that part of him that still desperately wanted to know why she had decided to leave.

_I know that you've done some changin'  
And I know there's no changin' your mind  
And yes I know  
We've been through this a thousand times  
I'm sorry for still holdin' on  
I'll try to let go and I'll try to be strong, and I'll_

Albus had tried to convince her so many times that she didn't need to go. Everything she wanted to know, she could learn here, and what the university couldn't teach her, they would learn together. She had said no, gently but firmly ending the discussion. She would be leaving in two weeks' time. It had been the shortest two weeks of his life.

_Wish you the best  
And I wish you nothing less  
Than every thing you've ever dreamed of  
And I hope that you find love along the way  
But most of all  
I wish you'd stay_

He had indeed called his sister in Memphis and told her that Minerva was coming. He asked her to look after her, and update him regularly on the status of her studies, and her mental and emotional state. He claimed he wanted to make sure that his best friend was treated as she deserved by any man that she allowed into her life. It was the closest he came to a confession of love. He'd never even admitted that to himself.

_Yeah, everything you've ever dreamed of  
And I hope that you'll find love along the way  
But most of all  
I wish you'd stay_

Until now. It suddenly hit Albus with full force that it was not simply friendship he felt for Minerva anymore. He loved her. That fact made it even harder for him now, sitting in his office staring into the dark, waiting for her to call and let him know that she'd arrived safely.

In the silence of the office, he heard the quiet click of the door being opened. He swiveled in his chair, and jumped up when he saw the person standing uncertainly in the doorway.

"Albus…"

"Minerva!"

_I wish you'd stay_


End file.
